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Thursday, 02 May 2013 11:50

Prof.Dr. Gunduz Atalik, the President of Turkish Section of Regional Science passed away on the 1st of May 2013

A LIFE DEDICATED TO REGIONAL SCIENCE:

PROF.DR. GÜNDÜZ ATALIK (1931-2013)

Prof. Dr. Gündüz Atalık died at his home in Istanbul on April, 30, 2013. He was the Founder and President of the Turkish Section of the Regional Science Association International and a professor emeritus of urban and regional planning at Istanbul Technical University. 50 years of his academic and professional life, started in 1963 at the Regional   Planning  Department, Ministry of Housing and Construction and continued at Istanbul Technical University until 2013, was dedicated to regional science.

Professor Atalık was a prominent member of the regional science international community, fully devoted to the development of regional science in Turkey and within European Regional Science Association. Following the first and the second National Regional Science Congress in 1987 and 1989, he organized the 30th ERSA Congress in 1990 in Istanbul that has been one of the ever best organized ERSA Congress still a good memory in the minds of our regional science colleagues. He founded the Turkish Section of the Regional Science Association International in 1991 and he organized 12 National Congress of Regional Science between 1987 and 2010 that contributed a lot to the institutionalization of regional science in Turkey. He also established the Master Programme of Regional Planning at the international standards at Istanbul Technical University and he played a pioneering role in the development of regional studies in Turkey.

The RSAI owes much to him for his dedicated efforts to establish and develop the Turkish Section of the Regional Science Association International as well as for integrating it in large international networks.  We all are thankful to him. His loss will be strongly felt by all the RSAI community and his long and substantial contribution and close friendship will be missed by all of us.

Prof.Dr. Tüzin BAYCAN

Turkish Section of the Regional Science Association International

Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Istanbul Technical University

 

Condolences presented to family, friends, and colleagues of Professor Gunduz Atalik

It is with great sadness that we learned that Prof. Dr. Gunduz Atalik passed away a few days ago at his home in Istanbul. Professor Atalik has been one of the key leaders of the Regional Science community in Turkey, the European space, and worldwide. He will be remembered as a tireless organizer, and intellectual leader, and as a scholar in urban and regional studies and planning of international stature. Professor Atalik was the founder and President of Turkish Section of the Regional Science Association International. He regularly participated in international conferences in Regional Science and served as representative of the Turkish Section on the Board of the European Regional Science Association. In 1990, he made another significant contribution to Regional Science by taking on the organization of the European Regional Science Congress in Istanbul. This was a major event that has left many positive memories in the minds of our regional science colleagues. Professor Dr. Atalik will be missed by all of us for his long, substantial and broad intellectual contribution and the close friendship many of us have had with him. On behalf of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), I present to Prof. Dr. Atalik’s family and his friends and colleagues at the Istanbul Technical University our condolences in the trying moment and we thank you for your support throughout the year.

Jean-Claude Thill

President, Regional Science Association International

Knight Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

 

On behalf of the Greek section we would like to express our deepest condolences for the lost of Prefessor Atalik.

Apart from an exceptional scholar Professor Atalik was a close friend and a pilar for the establishment of a very fruitful collaboration between Turkish and Greek sections.

It is important to maintain a fruitful collaboration and scientific exchange which Professor Atalic had contributed in our subregion. The promotion of the ideas in Regional Science and collaboration is a legacy that will drive our actions in the future.

Please express our sincere condolences to all colleagues and his family.

Yannis Psycharis

President of the Greek Section

 

On behalf of Baltic Region Researchers Association (hopefully Lithuania Section of the European Regional Science Association) please accept our sincere condolences for the lost of Professor Atalik.

Please express our sincere condolences to all colleagues and his family.

Kind regards,

Diana Cibulskiene

 

On behalf of the Romanian Regional Science Association I express the sadness for the passing away of Professor Gunduz Atalik, a prominent member of the regional science international community. Over the years a high esteem was bestow on Professor Atalik  for his dedicated efforts to establish and develop the Turkish Section of the Regional Science Association International as well as for integrating it in large international networks. The ERSA Congress in 1990, the ERSA Summer Institute in 2000 remain wonderful expressions of his deep involvement in the organizing of memorable events, which many of us benefited from. We have the full trust that his younger colleagues and collaborators will keep the Turkish Regional Science Association closely connected to ERSA and RSAI and will continue Professor Atalik’s enthusiastic work. We ask his family and colleagues to accept our sincere condolences and assure them that Professor Atalik will remain with us, in our souls and minds. 

Sincerely,

Daniela Constantin

President of the Romanian Section

 

Such news never comes at a right moment and it is always saddening. Please accept our condolences and pass them to prof. Atalik's family, friends and colleagues who are active in the Turkish Section of RSA. 

Maciej Turala

Secretary of European Regional Science Association

 

On behalf of the Israeli Section of the European Regional Science Association and myself, please accept our sincere condolences.

With kind regards,

Amnon Frenkel

 

On behalf of Croatian Section of the European Regional Science Association and myself, please accept our sincere condolences!

Professor Gunduz Atalik, was a remarkable colleague, fully devoted to development of regional science in Turkey and within European Regional Science Association. I met him for the first time many years ago during the ERSA Congress in Krakow and every meeting with him was pleasant and friendly. Unforgettable is his contribution in organization of ERSA Congress in Istanbul as well as his active engagement in ERSA Council activities for many years.

He was living in a spirit of real researcher, what means readiness to assist young colleagues and readiness for cooperation on local and international level. Croatian colleagues will remember him as unique professional, kind person and remarkable personality. Please proceed our condolences to his family, too.

Kind regards,

Zlatan Fröhlich

President of the Croatian Section of ERSA

 

Very sad to hear of the news of Prof. Atalik

On behalf of ERSA, I send our condolences to the family and friends of Prof Atalik

I have posted the information on the ERSA home page and will briefly mention this in our newsletter

Best regards,

Richard KELLY

Executive Director

European Regional Science Association (ERSA)

 

This is a very sad new. I wish you all our kind regards and our support.

Best regards,

André Torre

 

Walter Isard left us some time ago, António Simões Lopes the founder of the Portuguese Association died in last December, now we received the sad notice that Pro. Gunduz Atalik, founder of the Turkish section of RSAI also passed away. It is moment of sadness but also a time of gratitude. Many thanks for being with us and for creating for us.

Best regards,

Tomaz Ponce Dentinho

President of the Portuguese Section of RSAI

 

I first met Professor Gunduz Atalik at the ERSA congress in Istanbul in 1990 and since then it has been a pleasure for me to friendly chat with him at least once a year at various conferences and to be presented by him to various younger and valid Turkish scholars. I also participated to the ERSA Summer Institute which he organized in 2000 and from which he published together with Manfred Fischer an important book by Springer, where various interesting international contributions on “Regional Development” where integrated. Professor Atalik strongly believed in European Integration and also on the need to cooperate between the researchers in South Europe, as the cities and regions of the Mediterranean basin share many historical linkages and have common characteristics and problems. On behalf of the colleagues of the Italian Association of Regional Science I really regret that we have lost a good friend and hope to continue the collaborations with his many students and colleagues in Turkey.
Riccardo Cappellin
Professor of Economics, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
President of the Italian Association of Regional Science

 

As a president of the Spanish Regional Science Association, We wonder to add to all the colleagues that are giving you their condolence. During the last years, it's clear that the Turkish regional Science Association and their researchers have done an excelent job, and specially the relationships with Spanish team have increased a lot

Again our major condolences to all his family!

Jordi Suriñach

President of the Spanish Regional Science Association

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